Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MAY 2020 27 mock drafts — is the depth at wide receiver in this draft. Claypool is Kiper's No. 10 wide receiver. He is No. 12 on Rotoworld (NBC) analyst Thor Nystrom's wide receiver rankings. Both see him as a safe day- two pick. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked Claypool at No. 11 among receivers and gave him the title of "Biggest Riser." JULIAN OKWARA, DEFENSIVE END 2019 Stats: 18 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and two forced fumbles NFL Combine Numbers: 27 bench press reps (did not do other drills) Height, Weight: 6-4, 252 Draft Projection: Second or third round What They're Saying: Okwara's senior season was cut short by a broken fibula, which took with it his preseason status as Notre Dame's best draft prospect. That was also before Kmet and Clay- pool's emergence. Okwara's stats dipped, but according to Pro Football Focus his 19.2 percent pressure rate led the Football Bowl Subdivision by nearly a full percentage point. PFF has the balmiest outlook on Okwara, ranking him No. 23 overall on its big board. That's high, but not met with scorn by other analysts. "You can go back two years ago when he was really good," Kiper said. "If you look at the tape there, he had first-round tape, early second tape. "If you want a lengthy pass rusher, you can get him in the late second or early third. … He has really long arms [34.4 inches], he has sack produc- tion and ability to get to the quarterback." PFF's one drawback with Okwara was tackling — he missed nearly a third of his tackle attempts in 2019. KHALID KAREEM, DEFENSIVE END 2019 Stats: 46 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and three forced fumbles NFL Combine Numbers: Did not work out Height, Weight: 6-4, 268 Draft Projection: Third or fourth round What They're Saying: While not seen quite at the same level as Okwara as a pass rusher, Ka- reem's second straight year with at least 10 tackles for loss helped vault him into the day two discus- sion. A torn labrum prevented him from working out at the combine. "He's at worst a third-round pick," Kiper said. Nystrom slotted Kareem as the No. 14 edge player in the draft. "His brawn/brain game combined with his long frame and arms are going to allow him to set an or- derly edge and muck up opposing running plans," Nystrom wrote. "Kareem is extremely difficult to move off his spot. … He's going to need more than a revved-up motor and bull rush to consistently threaten NFL tackles." TROY PRIDE JR., CORNERBACK 2019 Stats: 40 tackles, six passes broken up and one interception NFL Combine Numbers: 4.4-second 40-yard dash, 35.5-inch vertical jump, 119-inch broad jump and 4.26-second 20-yard shuttle Height, Weight: 5-11, 193 Draft Projection: Third or fourth round What They're Saying: Pride set a goal to run the 40 in the 4.2s, but fell short of it despite a time that was still well regarded. The Senior Bowl propelled him into the day two discussions. PFF credited him with a 50 percent win rate in one-on-ones during Senior Bowl practices. "He needs to be paired with a scheme that al- lows him to play more off-man and zone so he can keep the game in front of him and use his burst to close coming downhill," NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote. "Pride has pro traits, but he also has NFL- backup tape." ALOHI GILMAN, SAFETY 2019 Stats: 74 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and two passes broken up NFL Combine Numbers: 4.6-second 40-yard dash, 4.08-second 20-yard shuttle, 32-inch vertical jump, 17 bench press reps and 6.81-second three-cone drill Height, Weight: 5-10, 201 Draft Projection: Sixth or seventh round What They're Saying: Gilman's times in the three- cone drill and 20-yard shuttle were the fourth-best of any player who did the drills at the combine. His vertical jump ranked last among defensive backs. "His consistent urgency and aggressiveness make you like him, but there are too many inconsisten- cies to love him," Zierlein wrote. "Gilman has quick run recognition and triggers hard into the box or alley to meet ball-carriers. Mental busts in cover- age hurt his team, but he has some man-cover potential worth exploring. "Gilman has limitations, but the athleticism, at- titude and special teams ability make him a prime candidate to be a core special-teamer and backup safety." ✦ Wide receiver Chase Claypool's strong Senior Bowl week and eye-opening NFL Combine testing have raised his stock since the end of the year. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER OTHER NAMES TO KNOW Head coach Brian Kelly's work doesn't end with the top prospects. He has spent time on the phone with NFL coaches and general managers advocating for the former players who are likely to be un- drafted free agents, but will have a chance to earn minicamp and training camp invitations. "We have six other guys who started for me who are really good football players," Kelly said. "It's promoting [linebacker] Asmar Bilal, [defensive end] Jamir Jones, [running back] Tony Jones Jr., making sure [wide receiver] Chris Finke and all those guys get great opportunities." Safety Jalen Elliott has been pegged as a possible late-round pick and has appeared in some seven- round mock drafts. A 4.8-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, though, will be difficult to over- come. He held a private pro day and reported that he ran a 4.54 and 4.56, giving him a shred of positive momentum heading into the draft. "I knew that wasn't my true speed," Elliott said on The Jim Rome Show of his combine time. "I think I righted that with running the time I ran."